Bad Night's Sleep = Bad Next Day Decisions

I post quite a bit about sleep, sleep study research and the impact of sleep on daily life. I do so for a couple reasons. I get up everyday at 4:15 am and I need/want MORE sleep! I have sleep apnea and I know how serious interrupted sleep can be on health and I hear a lot of folks concerned about poor sleep as the get older.

Now United Press International (UPI) is reporting that Michigan State University researchers have discovered that having a restless night of sleep does more than make you feel off your game the next day. Science says that sleep deprivation doubles the odds of making errors if interrupted while performing multiple step operations. Lack of sleep also triples the number of lapses in attention.

Researchers say people who don't get enough sleep need to be cautious "in absolutely everything that they do, and simply can't trust that they won't make costly errors. Oftentimes-- like when behind the wheel of a car-- these errors can have tragic consequences."

The takeaway from the study is simply this - The mental impacts of sleep deprivation are much more serious than previously believed.

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more on sleep deprivation.